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De La Cruz slowed by pulled left hamstring

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By Adam Berry
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MLB.com |

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz has been held back at the start of camp by a pulled left hamstring he suffered about a month ago, but he hopes to throw a bullpen session off the mound in a few days.

De La Cruz, who was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, instead threw off a flat mound under the supervision of pitching coach Dave Wallace and head athletic trainer Richie Bancells.

"Everything is fine. I just have, like, a little hamstring pull a month ago," De La Cruz said, adding that he hasn't had any prior issues with his hamstring. "We were working last week over here to get better with the hamstring. Now, it's pretty good. That thing is step by step."

The Orioles signed De La Cruz to a one-year deal in November. The 25-year-old lefty posted a 2.67 ERA in 50 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last year while pitching in the Dodgers' system and held lefties to a .217/.298/.261 batting line with 37 strikeouts in 106 plate appearances. The southpaw has been working on throwing from two different arm slots for the past year, which he said helped him in 2013, especially against left-handed hitters.

In other injury news, manager Buck Showalter said right-hander Miguel Gonzalez left about halfway through Saturday's workout with back spasms. Showalter described it as more of a precautionary measure and said the Orioles were "not alarmed at this point" by it. Gonzalez wasn't scheduled to throw Saturday.

Adam Berry is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamdberry. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.